Hospital Attack Kills 3 US Doctors in Afghan Capital

An Afghan security guard has opened fire at a hospital in Kabul, killing three American doctors, in the latest attack on foreigners in Afghanistan.

Thursday's attack took place at a hospital run by the U.S.-based Christian charity CURE International. In a brief statement on Twitter, the U.S. Embassy said with "great sadness, we can confirm that three Americans were killed in the attack on CURE hospital."

The Afghan officials said a fourth American was wounded in the shooting and that two of the dead were father and son.

The assailant was reportedly shot and wounded by another security guard. Afghan Interior Ministry spokesman Sadiq Sidiqqi said the suspect is in police custody and an investigation is under way.

"This was an unfortunate incident this morning. The attacker was a police security guard there and he opens fire on foreign nationals who went there and unfortunately three of them have been killed. One is injured and the injured has been taken to the hospital. And the police has arrested the attacker as well so we will investigate to find out the motives behind this attack."

It is unclear whether the Taliban is responsible for the shooting.

CURE's website says the organization began operating the 100-bed Cure International hospital in Kabul in 2005, with 27 doctors and 64 nurses working there.

Foreign civilians in Afghanistan have been the target of a rising number of attacks this year.

Earlier this month, a police officer shot two Associated Press journalists in the eastern part of the country.

In March, a Swedish journalist was killed outside a Kabul restaurant.

Twenty one people were killed in January in a bombing at a Lebanese restaurant in Kabul's diplomatic district.